OT: Can you convert a window Air conditioner to a Portable Air con?

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John

Yes a weird topic but vaguely related to computer hardware since I did
read that portable air cons were often used to cool down a computer
room.

Many protable air cons are rated poorly and they cost 3-4 times or
more than a window air con. The price has come down substantially -
the cheapest ones were $600 or so then a few went down to 500.
Suddenly now theres a proliferation of $330-450 models on the net.
However shipping is a gross $60-200 since they weigh around 100 lbs.

However there are window units as low as $70 5000 btu.

Why cant you just build a wooden waterproofed enclosure slightly
larger that the window air con - the backside which usually sits out
the window , and enclose the air con? Then have two pipes leading out
to a window? Below the air con would sit a pan to collect the water.
The two pipes - ones blow air in and the other out.

Super simple, The key is of course how much air flow is needed to cool
the the air con. However the portable units dont seem to have that
much air flow though this may explain why some of them are said to be
poor at cooling.
 
[email protected] said:
Yes a weird topic but vaguely related to computer hardware since I did
read that portable air cons were often used to cool down a computer
room.

Many protable air cons are rated poorly and they cost 3-4 times or
more than a window air con. The price has come down substantially -
the cheapest ones were $600 or so then a few went down to 500.
Suddenly now theres a proliferation of $330-450 models on the net.
However shipping is a gross $60-200 since they weigh around 100 lbs.

However there are window units as low as $70 5000 btu.

Why cant you just build a wooden waterproofed enclosure slightly
larger that the window air con - the backside which usually sits out
the window , and enclose the air con? Then have two pipes leading out
to a window? Below the air con would sit a pan to collect the water.
The two pipes - ones blow air in and the other out.

Super simple, The key is of course how much air flow is needed to cool
the the air con. However the portable units dont seem to have that
much air flow though this may explain why some of them are said to be
poor at cooling.
Click to expand...

it would work
but you'd need duct-work at least as large as the rear of the a/c...
you'd have to insulate it and probably provide additional circulation.
 
it would work
but you'd need duct-work at least as large as the rear of the a/c...
you'd have to insulate it and probably provide additional circulation.
Click to expand...

Ive done searches - I dont know why someone , somewhere hasnt done it
- with all his experience and insights plastered on some website. I
even saw a website describing this one guys attempt to make a digital
camera (when they were expensive) from a SCANNER for crying out loud.
Talk about desperate.

You can find almost anything. One guy describes how he made a chiller
- some device to cool the water in an aquarium , with a cheap air con.

Yet NOBODY has this plan? There is one lame plan about making your
conditioner by putting tons of ice cubes in a water cooler and using a
fan on it. Real DUMB since there are cheap air/water cooler.

All I want to know is there something fundamentally different about
portables that I dont know about that would make such a project doomed
to failure.

Sure you say - the reason why there isnt is because most people can
just put it in their window . Why bother with making it into a
portable??? There are tons of condo residents where rules forbid
putting window air cons in various windows. And what about students
who live in some dorm or something? Maybe you can but maybe you cant
put a window air con in. There must be tons of people who need one.
Obviously windowless rooms need one if you dont have central air con.

These portable only have what looks like one 6 inch or so duct going
to a window with no fan - or do they have one?

Wouldnt TWO ducts - one IN and one OUT with FANS be tens times better?
 
[email protected] said:
Ive done searches - I dont know why someone , somewhere hasnt done it
- with all his experience and insights plastered on some website. I
even saw a website describing this one guys attempt to make a digital
camera (when they were expensive) from a SCANNER for crying out loud.
Talk about desperate.
Click to expand...

LOL, yeah, there are some really cool do it yourself projects on the net, that is for sure. It used to be
pretty easy to do a web search and come up with some of them, but now you have to wade through heaps and
heaps commercial sites to come up with a good hobby page. Bastards!

In any case, if you still haven't found anything on the web, get out the yellow pages tomorrow and call
around at some of the HVAC repair shops where you live. It might take a few calls to get the right guy,
but eventually you'll get someone friendly with a few minutes who will probably have a good explanation
(and possibly a workaround) for 'ya. Good luck!

Jon
 
Yes a weird topic but vaguely related to computer hardware since I did
read that portable air cons were often used to cool down a computer
room.

Many protable air cons are rated poorly and they cost 3-4 times or
more than a window air con. The price has come down substantially -
the cheapest ones were $600 or so then a few went down to 500.
Suddenly now theres a proliferation of $330-450 models on the net.
However shipping is a gross $60-200 since they weigh around 100 lbs.

However there are window units as low as $70 5000 btu.

Why cant you just build a wooden waterproofed enclosure slightly
larger that the window air con - the backside which usually sits out
the window , and enclose the air con? Then have two pipes leading out
to a window? Below the air con would sit a pan to collect the water.
The two pipes - ones blow air in and the other out.

Super simple, The key is of course how much air flow is needed to cool
the the air con. However the portable units dont seem to have that
much air flow though this may explain why some of them are said to be
poor at cooling.
Click to expand...

It'd work, though you might have to deal with the moisture in other ways.
If the water runs to the back and cools the radiator, AND if it's exhaust
run is too long or too low a flow rate you may get condensation in it,
else the unit is designed to drip off the water meaning you might need
more than just a waterproof box but a way to drain the box.

If the room has another source of air intake, you may not need the second
duct for air intake... instead it would use room air and exhaust that out.

The vented sides draw in the air and exaust in back over the entire
rear. Using room air you would not need to enclose entire AC, just
something that mates with the border around the rear of the casing.

Actually that may work better because the room air is cooler, so more
effective cooling the radiator at the reduced airflow rate caused by the
exhaust duct, though you might still need a durable helper fan to pull air
in the exhaust duct, something resistant to heat and humidity, moisture.
 
If the room has another source of air intake, you may not need the second
duct for air intake... instead it would use room air and exhaust that out.

The vented sides draw in the air and exaust in back over the entire
rear. Using room air you would not need to enclose entire AC, just
something that mates with the border around the rear of the casing.

Actually that may work better because the room air is cooler, so more
effective cooling the radiator at the reduced airflow rate caused by the
exhaust duct, though you might still need a durable helper fan to pull air
in the exhaust duct, something resistant to heat and humidity, moisture.
Click to expand...

Actually thats how the portables I read about were. They draw air from
the room. I had mixed thoughts about that. One review seemed to hint
that thats why it may work worse - portables . You know it expels
cooled air to the outside so it lessens the cooling effectiveness. On
the otherhand the same consumer review speculates that it works better
that way in some cases , expelling heat to the outside if temp
difference inside and out isnt that great and you are mainly using it
to decrease humidity.

The attractiveness of it is the elimination of one pipe. The worst
part for me other than building the entire container and sealing off
the window. Actually sealing off the window is the worst but a
rivaling it is finding a suitable fan and then integrating it into the
design. There are size, noise and power and safety issues since it
might get wet.
 
I’m not a big fan of forums, but I will check this as I remember, so if you could, email me with some tips? Thanks! I really don’t care for all of the technical jargon, so there is no need to type up smething really long. How much does a Window ac unit cost to run on average? In terms of electricity? 1$ an hour? My room is real small and I can keep the door shut so it won’t really effect the central AC. I have a cpu and a couple other things in my room (like a halogen lamp) that put off a BUTTLOAD of heat, so my room always seems to be 5-10 degrees warmer than the rest of the house. I’ve done some research and some say it’s between 5-10 cents to run a small unit for a small room per kilowatt hour. Does that sound about right?
ac service
 
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